Started in February 2025, Herb Study Club is a monthly group I’ve been running at Thackray Medical Museum exploring different medicinal plants. Every month, we explore a herb chosen by myself and spend time experiencing it through smell, taste and observation. I prepare the herb in various forms such as in an infusion, a tincture or juice. The herb is not revealed to the group in order to avoid any assumptions we may have about a plant. The goal is to experience the herb at that specific moment and mindfully taste it and see how it makes us feel.

I ask questions such as ‘What landscapes do you seen when smelling this herb? , ‘Does it remind you of anything?, Does it taste like a leaf, a flower, a seed?’

I started my journey with plants through this practice and it has been transformative in shaping how I interact with the natural world. It’s become a practice in surrendering, trusting our intuition, unlocking ancestral knowledge and really listening in to our bodies and environments.

The group is open to all and operates on a pay as you feel scale. If you would like to join the group, please contact me at matilyanjau@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list!

Next Date: Sunday 30th November 2025